The present invention relates to golf tees and pertains particularly to a spin control tee.
The trajectory of a golf ball when propelled by the impact of a club of a tee is affected by the spin of the ball. The spin of the ball will be determined by how the ball is struck by the club face. If the club face is moving along a path or straight line perpendicular to the club face upon impact with the ball, the ball will tend to have a straight trajectory or will move in a straight line along the path of the club. However, should the club be moving across the line perpendicular to the club face upon impact, a horizontal spin, that is a spin in a horizontal plane will be imparted to the ball. This will cause either a hook or a slice of the ball, depending upon the direction of movement of the club face upon impact with the ball.
While the inadvertent hooking or slicing of the ball is best corrected by training and developing the skill of the player, other means have been suggested for correcting this problem for unskilled players. One of the prior art approaches to this problem is the provision of a tee having a shield or guard which is struck first by the ball such that a considerably lesser amount of the spin is imparted to the ball when improperly struck by the club. Examples of the approaches of others toward solving this problem are shown for example in the following U.S. patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,033,269 issued 3/10/36 to C. R. Williams.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,506,263 issued 4/14/70 to G. M. Arrington.
These patents both disclose some form of shield or cup that extends upward or supports the ball on a tee and shields the ball from the impact of the club. While these proposed constructions do make a measurable difference in the spin imparted to the ball, they do not in most cases completely eliminate it. It is also desirable that vertical spin, that is, spin in a plane along the vertical axis also be controlled to some degree independent of the club face.
It is therefore desirable that some means be available which controls the spin of a golf ball independently of the impact of a club face on the ball.